


Patrol Duties

by paupotter_4869



Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [9]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Jacksonville, Teasing, dina's not exactly helping, ellie is so SO done and pissed off, farm duties, patrol duties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28007115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paupotter_4869/pseuds/paupotter_4869
Summary: Ellie's struggling to cope and adjust to her life in Jackson. Dina tries to help, although her attempts might backfire.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Series: The Most Important Thing. . . [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2033674
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Patrol Duties

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything. All credit to Naughty Dogs.

Dina was just tying up her boots when there were two knocks on her door. 

“One minute!” she yelled, knowing that giving a specific timeframe would refrain Jesse from pounding on her door non-stop and putting her in a compromising position with the neighbors. 

Hastily, she finished tying the shoelaces and stood from the bed. She grabbed her coat from the chair and backpack on the floor, against the wall, and exactly fifty seconds after Jesse knocked, she opened the door. As usual, when it comes to morning patrols, it seems like the whole town is still asleep—except for them. 

“Morning,” she greeted, the cold early breeze waking her up more effectively than any pounding. 

“We’re late,” Jesse scowled, moving aside so Dina would start walking first. 

“No, we’re not,” replied Dina, putting on her coat. Winter was still pretty far away, but the morning breeze could be uncomfortably cold so early in the morning. She still didn’t know why she’d accepted being part of the rotation, forcing her ass to be up and about so early. “It always takes us at least twenty minutes to organize the group patrols and go over the scouting routes.” 

“So you expect to eat breakfast instead of going over the patrols?” 

“I already know the routes, Jesse,” she insisted, hiding a shiver, “and I’d have thought you’d be nice enough to get me a sandwich before waking me up at such an ungodly hour.” 

“Sure, I’ll cook for you, too. Did you at least check your guns and ammo?” 

“Hey, smart boy, this isn’t my first rodeo.” 

Whatever’s Jesse snark remark was, Dina didn’t pay any attention to it. She’d gotten distracted by something, or someone, she’d seen over Jesse’s shoulder. Huh. They were on schedule because of the three-times a day patrols, but she’d thought everyone else’s duties could wait a little bit more—there were plenty of hours in the day, after all. Dina had rarely taken into consideration the varying duties that helped such a community thrive and prosper, but she _was_ certain she’d never seen anyone working at the farmhouse so early. 

“Did you listen to a single word I just said?” Jesse demanded. 

Dina blinked a couple of times and realized they’d stopped walking at some point. 

“No, sorry, I didn’t,” she confessed, still distracted. Jesse followed her eyes and turned to see the reason for her abstraction, which made him scowl in turn. 

“Any particular reason why you’re so obsessed with the new girl?” 

“I just want to say hello,” Dina replied, shrugging in a too nonchalant way. 

Jesse groaned, throwing his head back, knowing they were truly going to be late. He pondered for two seconds, looking back at the fence, then at that Ellie girl, trying to figure out which would give him fewer headaches, if fighting Dina or just accepting defeat. 

The answer, just like so many times before, was obvious. “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” 

“I’ll see you in twenty,” said Dina, giving him a squeeze on the arm. 

Before he could reply, she ran off towards the farm, and Jesse dashed in the opposite direction. They had made some efforts to get to know the new girl, show her around, introduce her to the rest of the townfolk—just like they’d done with every previous newcomer to Jackson. Ellie had not made things easy, and life was too precious these days to waste any time on people who not only did not need help, but they also flat-out refused it. Jesse was a little fed up. 

Dina, on the other hand, wasn’t, or not just yet, in any case. She had only spoken to Ellie directly three times so far, and Ellie had yet to assault or insult her, and that was a win in Dina’s book, hands down. Beginnings were always hard. 

She liked a challenge as much as the next one and she could sympathize with Ellie’s situation, at least partially. She’d be damned if she gave up on her so easily and quickly before giving her a proper chance. Also, she _was_ getting kind of tired of meeting Tommy and Joel everywhere around Jackon and seeing their sad, puppy faces, mournful over Ellie’s brooding. They’d been kind enough not to repeat their request of Dina establishing an ever-lasting relationship with Ellie, to help her settle into town, but Dina knew it’d mean so much to them both, and Ellie herself, too. 

Back facing her, Ellie didn’t see Dina approaching, focused as she was throwing a handful of grain to feed the pigs. Dina stopped to rest against the wooden fence, as she wondered why on Earth was Ellie feeding the farm animals. Wasn’t she just on cleaning duties last week? Or was that two weeks ago? 

“I’m surprised you’re actually feeding the pigs with that grain and not keeping it all to yourself,” Dina remarked when, after a minute, Ellie kept oblivious to her presence there. 

She’d chosen the worse possible ice-breaker and conversation starter possible. Ellie froze and, after peaking over her shoulder to see who’d spoken, she groaned, and started grabbing bigger amounts of grain at a time. Trying, no doubt, to finish the job quicker and have an excuse to run away, Dina figured. 

“Sorry. It was a _joke,_ you know,” she chuckled, although she didn’t quite understand her conundrum. The first time she and Ellie met—or, more appropriately, when Tommy introduced them—it was one night for dinner at the canteen. Dina caught Ellie trying to hide loaves of bread in her jacket to take home, which for Dina was, still to this day, hilarious. 

“Oh, of course. Because I’m a thief, right?” Ellie scowled. Evidently, she didn’t remember that first meeting the same way Dina did. Whether it was remorse or shame, it seemed Ellie didn’t fancy looking back on that day. 

“No, that’s not how I read it,” Dina tried to reassure her, jumping over the fence. “Just saw the consequences of an Apocalypse that had brought a person near to starving conditions one too many times and was just trying to provide for herself. Everyone around here has been in your same shoes and no one would fault you for it.” 

Upon those words, Ellie dropped her arms and actually listened for once, trying her damn best to believe Dina. Seeing an opening, Dina stopped by her side and had to fight the urge to grab Ellie’s hand. 

“You don’t need to be so hard on yourself,” she added, softer tone. “Nor the rest of us—we’re not judging.” 

“Aren’t you?” Ellie scowled, her bad temper rising again. “Feels like that is _all_ you do. Since the moment I stepped foot in here, you’ve been pestering me and attacking me with all your questions and interest over my past life, and—” 

“Okay, I believe there’s a misunderstanding here,” Dina interjected before Ellie went off on an endless rant. “What you call morbid and inadequate interest, we call it trying to be nice and welcoming you into Jackson.” 

“Well, congratulations. You nailed it.” With that, Ellie resumed her feeding the pigs, throwing the grains with way more strength and power than necessary. 

“You know, you’re supposed to _feed_ the pigs, not kill them with those projectiles,” Dina pointed out with an amused tone. 

That made Ellie reflect and she stopped, breathed deeply, and threw her a look over the shoulder that Dina couldn’t decipher. She didn’t seem as pissed off as a few seconds before when she resumed her work again with more composed manners. After a moment, knowing she’d have to leave soon, Dina gave it another shot. 

“I think we got off on the wrong foot. For what it’s worth, we all go through what you’re going through. Everyone knows everybody around here and it does get kind of boring. You’re the new girl in town, having people curious about you and your history is kind of unavoidable. Yeah, it pissed me off too, but it’ll pass,” she said, a confession that finally got a chuckle from Ellie. 

She was enjoying Dina’s take on all of this and her sharing her own experience around the place, so much so that she dropped her chores again. They walked by to the fence, climbed it, and sat atop of it, side by side, closer than Ellie would have imagined. 

“It was kind of embarrassing and overwhelming,” Dina kept saying. 

“And frustrating and infuriating,” Ellie added to the list. 

“That, too,” Dina agreed, gently bumping against Ellie’s shoulder. “I don’t think I spoke an entire sentence the first few days I was here—they did all the talking. But, eventually, you see you cannot really avoid everyone forever. In time, they let you put in a word or two, and hey, maybe, if you’re extremely lucky, you’ll even make friends.” 

“Friendship is overrated.” 

“Maybe it is,” Dina shrugged, figuring she wasn’t going to change Ellie’s mind in whatever time left she had of. “Come to my place on Friday and see for yourself.” 

“Friday?” 

“Yeah, some guys are meeting up, Jesse included. We’re going to play some card games, watch a movie. . . It _could_ be fun, but you never know, of course.” 

She expected Ellie to make some joke at the choice of the word ‘fun’ but, against all odds, Ellie didn’t try to raise another argument. If the little smile Dina could see half-hidden behind her hair was any indication, she thought Ellie appreciated her efforts and invite. 

“We’re also going to interrogate you about every tiny little detail of your life before you got to Jackson, of course,” Dina said. “It’s our ritual.” 

“You’re welcome to try,” scoffed Ellie. 

Figuring she’d done her duty, Dina gently squeezed Ellie’s shoulder, then threw her leg over the fence and jumped, assessing the weight of her backpack. 

“Well, see you then,” she bid farewell. 

“Wait,” Ellie begged, from the other side of the fence. She looked at her as if she was seeing Dina for the first time since they’d met—but then Dina realized that it had been her backpack that had caught Ellie’s eye. “Are you going out?” 

“Yeah, patrol duties.” 

_“You’re kidding me!”_ Ellie exploded, more vehement than Dina had predicted. Her rage scares her momentarily, for she had no idea Ellie would feel so strongly about the idea of scouting the surrounding area for Infected and threats. “And I’m stuck here feeding the fucking pigs? Why do you get to leave? What do I have to do to apply for patrol duties?” 

“Don’t you have direct contact with the guys who run this place?” Dina asked, surprised. 

“They don’t trust me out there, I suppose,” Ellie said—she’d already tried, multiple times, apparently to no success. 

“Did you try saying ‘please’?” 

“Very funny.” 

The pout on Ellie’s face made Dina giggle and she gently patted her on the shoulder. “Come on Friday and we can scheme a plan to get you on patrol duty. It’s usually a matter of time, though.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it ! :)


End file.
